Mars
Mars was the industrial center of the Homeworlds, its population consisting almost entirely of Neosapiens. The capital was Maginus City. History Initially, mining Mars was seen as too expensive as the environment was too harsh for Terrans and their equipment. This led to the use of convict labor on Tethys. Following the creation of the Neosapiens, mining Mars became profitable and the planet became the center of industrial activity. The Neosapiens, seen as slaves, eventually instigated the Neosapien Revolt and fought for improved civil rights. The revolt was crushed by Exofleet, which had begun to use the E-frames as combat weapons. The treaty signed after the revolt increased the overall rights of the Neosapiens, but they were subjected to restrictions. They could not own weapons or command ships. Despite the treaty, many Neosapiens lived in virtual poverty and very few were able to obtain positions of power. However, the Mars government was granted moderate autonomy and the Homeworlds Congress did not subject it to strong oversight. This lack of oversight allowed Phaeton, the governor-general, to convert many of the factories so they could build weapons while maintaining the facade of being non-military buildings. His carte blanche was so widespread the Congress did not even suspect the military build-up. When Exofleet was sent to fight the Pirate Clans War, Phaeton's armada quickly overwhelmed the remaining Exofleet forces. After Phaeton's capital has been transferred from Mars to Phaeton City (formerly, Chicago) on Earth, General Typhonus, Phaeton's Minister of Battle Forces, was left in charge of maintaining Martian industrial capacity. In "Abandoned" it is stated that Mars has a population of at least 5 million Neosapiens. A massive breeding facility was built beneath Olympus Mons for the purpose of creating millions of new Neosapiens and rendering Terrans obsolete. This facility was destroyed by the Able Squad soon after the Third Battle of Earth. The resulting destruction of the facility caused Olympus Mons to erupt and devastate the surrounding area, including Maginus City. In exchange for the assistance of the Pirate Clans, Admiral Winfield agreed to allow the pirates to settle on Mars. During a mission to contact a spy, Able Squad discovered an extraterrestrial installation (a facility or a giant living creature, which baffled Professor Algernon) buried beneath one of Martian deserts. During the Battle of Mars, Able Squad and the Neosapiens managed to infiltrate the facility, but suffered losses from the defense weaponry. The installation eventually self-destructed from combat damage, reducing Mars to an asteroid belt and sending a signal into deep space, which apparently attracted the attention of a new, aggressive alien race (whose nature was not explained in the series, since Exosquad Third Season and Exo-Pirates were canceled). The destruction of Mars was a heavy blow to the morale of the Neosapiens, but it also stirred a great lust for revenge in them. This need for vengeance was exploited by Phaeton during the Fourth Battle of Venus. The Pirates did not break-off the alliance with the Exofleet, even though its side of the deal was no longer possible to fulfill, and fought along its side to the end. Phaeton would later believe that the destruction of Mars was a deliberate act by Exofleet, leading him to formulate a plan to destroy Earth as well in revenge. After the war, Professor Algernon modified his GRAF Shield to reconstruct the planet, and with extensive terraforming, Mars was restored to its original geology. Category:Planets